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Post by kiyoat on Nov 14, 2022 15:02:51 GMT -5
MidcoSN did a really nice piece on Coach Pham:
They interviewed his parents, too.
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Post by ndodge on Jan 18, 2023 22:40:49 GMT -5
Recent announcement for a brand new hockey and basketball arena so volleyball will have the old gym more to themselves I imagine
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Post by ndodge on Feb 28, 2023 10:33:20 GMT -5
If you're like me and have wondered how St. Thomas might do against some of the D2 powerhouses in MN, well you can find out this spring - they play both Concordia and UM-Duluth.
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Post by AmeriCanVBfan on Feb 28, 2023 11:27:55 GMT -5
Earlier this year St. Thomas added Ella Voegele DS/L (UNC Greensboro) and Kaitlynn Peterson OH/RS (Bradley) to the roster.
Both are Minnesota girls, coming home.
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Post by lovebugsm on Feb 28, 2023 12:57:55 GMT -5
They also have a better recruiting class coming in. I’m interested to see how year 3 will go for them.
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Post by AmeriCanVBfan on Feb 28, 2023 15:44:18 GMT -5
Hope it’s okay, I updated the thread title.
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Post by kiyoat on Feb 28, 2023 17:04:00 GMT -5
Hope it’s okay, I updated the thread title. It’s fine, but you might consider starting a new thread for 2023? Or if you want to keep it all in one thread, maybe change the title to reflect that, like “St Thomas 2022 & 2023 seasons “ or something similar. |
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Post by lovebugsm on Mar 8, 2023 22:14:05 GMT -5
Does anyone know if the spring matches will be streamed?
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Post by lovebugsm on Aug 13, 2023 9:16:33 GMT -5
I watched St. Thomas match against NDSU last season the other day. Their setting and passing really struggled in that game. I am excited to see if they run a 5-1 around Kealy this season and if that will bring a setting upgrade. I am also excited to see how Wayzata grad Voegele who transferred after a season of playing Libero for UNC Greensboro will fit in.
I’m my opinion this is the first year that St. Thomas has a D1 roster.
Anyone want to give a shot at what their lineup could be?
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 14, 2023 8:40:16 GMT -5
I watched St. Thomas match against NDSU last season the other day. Their setting and passing really struggled in that game. I am excited to see if they run a 5-1 around Kealy this season and if that will bring a setting upgrade. I am also excited to see how Wayzata grad Voegele who transferred after a season of playing Libero for UNC Greensboro will fit in. I’m my opinion this is the first year that St. Thomas has a D1 roster. Anyone want to give a shot at what their lineup could be? Funny that you mention it, but as far as D-1 rosters go, UST is not yet fully funded on scholarships in Volleyball. They are on a transition where the school adds a few scholarships each year. I think they will be fully funded in a couple more years IIRC. This isn’t something mandated by the NCAA, just a cost-saving measure the school has chosen AFAIK. The coach mentioned it in an interview last year. I’d say they are doing pretty well, all things considered. With the local recruiting, I think they will be a top-5 Summit team sometime in the next few years. This year? Maybe they will move into bottom half of the “middle tier”? |
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Post by AmeriCanVBfan on Aug 14, 2023 8:52:24 GMT -5
I watched St. Thomas match against NDSU last season the other day. Their setting and passing really struggled in that game. I am excited to see if they run a 5-1 around Kealy this season and if that will bring a setting upgrade. I am also excited to see how Wayzata grad Voegele who transferred after a season of playing Libero for UNC Greensboro will fit in. I’m my opinion this is the first year that St. Thomas has a D1 roster. Anyone want to give a shot at what their lineup could be? Funny that you mention it, but as far as D-1 rosters go, UST is not yet fully funded on scholarships in Volleyball. They are on a transition where the school adds a few scholarships each year. I think they will be fully funded in a couple more years IIRC. This isn’t something mandated by the NCAA, just a cost-saving measure the school has chosen AFAIK. The coach mentioned it in an interview last year. I’d say they are doing pretty well, all things considered. With the local recruiting, I think they will be a top-5 Summit team sometime in the next few years. This year? Maybe they will move into bottom half of the “middle tier”? The question in rumor circles is whether or not they stay in the Summit or try and join the Big East. I don't really see the BEast as a fit but that rumor has been knocked around. St. Thomas is making strides but still have a ways to go in order to attract Minnesota's top talent (as well as top talent from other States). |
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 14, 2023 9:59:25 GMT -5
The question in rumor circles is whether or not they stay in the Summit or try and join the Big East. I don't really see the BEast as a fit but that rumor has been knocked around. St. Thomas is making strides but still have a ways to go in order to attract Minnesota's top talent (as well as top talent from other States). Yeah, the Big East talk doesn't bother me much. It's good to have a long-term goal. From a mid-major perspective, I look at conference members similarly to coaches, meaning: The ideal situation is to have a great coach that wants to stick around and build up the program. Almost as good is getting a great coach that uses your program as a stepping stone, but builds it up in the process. Some people get butthurt about that, but the alternative is getting a mediocre or poor coach that wants to stick around, dragging you backwards. So if St Thomas can help raise the conference profile enough so they are an attractive option for the Big East, .... that's fine with me. In the meantime they are a contributor. A strong conference will attract stronger candidates to replace them. Same as in coaching. You are right about UST having a ways to go. There is a lot of potential there, though. Academically and financially they are a solid school, and the urban location is good. I think Creighton is a good model for them to follow. "Creighton of the North" |
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Post by boxcariii on Aug 14, 2023 10:08:36 GMT -5
The question in rumor circles is whether or not they stay in the Summit or try and join the Big East. I don't really see the BEast as a fit but that rumor has been knocked around. St. Thomas is making strides but still have a ways to go in order to attract Minnesota's top talent (as well as top talent from other States). It will be after they fully transition to D1 AND have some success in D1 (especially hoops), if it happens at all. I encourage you to just google each Summit League university and compare the size of the endowments. I don't see St. Thomas staying in the Summit long term, whether it's 5 years or 10 years, they're going to move on at some point. Big East does make sense to me. Private, religious institutions in above average to large metropolitan areas. (Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, NYC, Chicago, D.C., are all part of the Big East footprint). I fail to see how St. Thomas doesn't fit that mold? But, of course it doesn't have to be the Big East either. Who knows what the landscape is in 5-10 years, other than I expect a lot of teams to have changed conferences and another league or two to "fold"/merge/whatever. |
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Post by AmeriCanVBfan on Aug 14, 2023 11:50:32 GMT -5
The question in rumor circles is whether or not they stay in the Summit or try and join the Big East. I don't really see the BEast as a fit but that rumor has been knocked around. St. Thomas is making strides but still have a ways to go in order to attract Minnesota's top talent (as well as top talent from other States). Yeah, the Big East talk doesn't bother me much. It's good to have a long-term goal. From a mid-major perspective, I look at conference members similarly to coaches, meaning: The ideal situation is to have a great coach that wants to stick around and build up the program. Almost as good is getting a great coach that uses your program as a stepping stone, but builds it up in the process. Some people get butthurt about that, but the alternative is getting a mediocre or poor coach that wants to stick around, dragging you backwards. So if St Thomas can help raise the conference profile enough so they are an attractive option for the Big East, .... that's fine with me. In the meantime they are a contributor. A strong conference will attract stronger candidates to replace them. Same as in coaching. You are right about UST having a ways to go. There is a lot of potential there, though. Academically and financially they are a solid school, and the urban location is good. I think Creighton is a good model for them to follow. "Creighton of the North" "Creighton of the North" would be a good goal for them to shoot for. I don't know if Pham can achieve what KBB has and I don't think the Minnesota fanbase is as rabid fervent as Nebraska. As it stands there are a healthy number of Minnesota girls who choose to play in the Summit at other schools (primarily UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU), getting those kind of players to stay home and go to St. Thomas would make a difference. Plus there are the girls who go to the D2 school Concordia. |
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Post by boxcariii on Aug 14, 2023 12:19:41 GMT -5
I don't know if Pham can achieve what KBB has and I don't think the Minnesota fanbase is as rabid fervent as Nebraska. As it stands there are a healthy number of Minnesota girls who choose to play in the Summit at other schools (primarily UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU), getting those kind of players to stay home and go to St. Thomas would make a difference. Plus there are the girls who go to the D2 school Concordia. Agree with hometown players staying home. Hometown players aren't 100% necessary, but it's nice to have that core to build around. In your opinion, can they get to that point in the near future? Say 2-3 years after they fully sponsor volleyball? (your opinion from a volleyball perspective, please). I don't know anything about St. Thomas's NIL deals, but I know they can change the game for universities of a certain profile. I suspect St. Thomas will have some important alum/donors that would be more than willing to help out. |
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